Aion Class Overview - Which is Right for You?

These aren't your typical classes!
Aion has one of the more exceptional character creation systems of the MMORPG genre. Whether you want to make a titan of a Templar, or a miniature assassin that everyone will hate in PvP,...Aion has one of the more exceptional character creation systems of the MMORPG genre. Whether you want to make a titan of a Templar, or a miniature assassin that everyone will hate in PvP, your options are limitless. That class choice might be the hardest decision of all, with no slider available for 'Enjoyment' during creation. You're going to be investing an awful lot of time in this character, so why not make sure the class is right for you?


Warriors - Heavy Plate and Masters of the Front Line

Templar



With shield in hand, you serve as a tank comparable to other games. You also surpass those tanks in almost every aspect. You are by far and away the best tank of the game, well, you're the only real tank of the game. With trainable potent cooldowns, stigmas that can give you everything from self heals to a surprisingly potent offense, and the ability to use Great Swords when you're tearing through small fry you'll be ready for any situation solo or in a group. Even with a variety of threat increasing moves and passives, you'll have to be careful when grouping though. Crowd Control moves such as Root and Sleep will make the monster absolutely despise that guy or gal in robes. Rotating your taunts around is imperative and even taunting that monster who isn't even active is just as important. In PvP you are just as difficult to take down, but just like in PvE your DPS leaves something to be desired. You can still burst with the best, but your burst is heavily reliant on stigmas and DP. Once you unload that, you better hope the target is dead because your abilities will be cooling for a long time.


Gladiators


Whatever you choose, it'll involve both hands on a weapon and not a shield. You'll still be wearing the same heavy plate as the Templar, but without the shield and respective taunting/defensive passives, don't expect to tank except in emergencies. You do still have quite the HP pool but you'll be slotting your armor with offensive boosters rather than defensives, so you can do what you do best--cleave skulls! Your AoE is exceptional, and if you pull hate in the process it doesn't matter nearly as much as the other classes since you've got a whole lot more toughness than those cloth and leather sissies. The challenge of a gladiator is timing. You do massive damage with each attack, but similar to some old WoW Slam tactics, you have to time your special attacks in between your standard attacks to get the most out of the class. Gladiators also benefit from having knockdown/daze/midair capable classes around them, as they're not terrible good at inflicting these negative statuses, but have skills that can definitely capitalize on them heavily. Even if you're the king of the big weapons, the king of the big shield will still pose a problem to even the best gladiators. Pick and choose your fights and don't charge wildly ahead to AoE a crowd. Then again, no guts, no glory, and glory is what a gladiator is all about!


Priests - Holy Men in Chain that can Still Bring the Pain

Chanters



If you want to dish it out, take it, and heal it with a side of buffing, this is you. You can do a little of everything, but the only things you excel at are heals over time and Mantras, which act like Auras in Diablo/WoW. These can add considerable offensive and defensive effects, and even run and flight speed. A chanter, much like a classic Bard, is always welcome in a group. Your heal over time will not stack with the Cleric version, so if you're backing up another healer, make sure and clarify who is going to be casting what, so you can focus your mana pool offensively rather than hovering over health bars. You can use a mace and shield when you need to be ready for anything, but primarily you will be twirling a staff like a badass. You have a wide variety of debuffing attacks and one of the most powerful stuns in the game later on, so your offense is not to be underestimated. It's entirely possible to solo heal a group for a long time as a Chanter, but a Cleric will do it quicker, easier, and with less mana used typically. Plus, you'd rather be beating people up, right? You are the ultimate support for anyone and everyone, and you won't have any trouble making friends if you decide to pick Chanter, so long as you don't screw up!


Clerics


It's the healbot! Clerics are the all powerful healers, with large, extremely potent single target and group heals. Stigmas will give you a variety of buffs and debuffs, from no MP cost to blinding targets that are trying to stop you from casting that next big heal. A mace and a shield will be your constant companions, but your offense will be primarily ranged once you get into the 30's and beyond. You'll burn through mana at a remarkable rate, so slotting for MP in your Chain (which tends to not have much of any magical stats for your duty) is advised if you're going to be solo healing through any boss encounters. You might be tempted to wear mage pajamas to the fight for the massive MP boosts, but resist it because you can't afford to get hit by that stray boss AoE... or that stray assassin who wandered into your instance and has you on his list to kill. You have the lovely ability to cannibalize your HP to MP, but be advised that if anyone in PvP sees you getting desperate, you're probably on Death's door! You won't provide the awesome buffs of the Chanter, but you will bring a Templar from the brink to maximum in one big cast.


Scouts - Your Leather Bow + Dagger Guys, Possibly Named xLegolasx

Rangers



Before you beeline for this class, this is not your typical ranged class. You will be meleeing well into your late teens and possibly early 20s. You will not kill faster than anyone else for a while. This is a class of patience and kiting. A class of perfection. A class that sneaks up on a target from above, and bombards them with a hail of arrows before the enemy can even locate you in the sky. You won't match the damage of the assassin, but you have a much better advantage over him in PvP. He cannot kill if he is not in melee range. You cannot kill if you ARE in melee range. The further you are from your opponent typically, the better off you are, and with strafe-shots and other moving/midair attacks possible, you are a highly mobile force of destruction compared to the other ranged casters. The problem is, you'll have to make the most of this to be a real threat to anyone. It's still an awesomely potent class with good snares and control, but you have to maintain control of the fight both in solo PvE and PvP to feel powerful. Nothing beats that feeling of dusting a melee class virtually untouched.


Assassins


Before you beeline to this class, know that this is not your typical rogue. You'll be using a variety of one handers and you have stealth, but stealth in this game is a different beast than you may be used to. It has a sixty second cooldown so you can't be coming in and out of it on a regular basis, or after a fresh kill but before the next guy can notice you. Assassins will absolutely mutilate most classes given they can actually stay in melee range. You have an extremely awesome charge move to close the distance near instantly on targets and have the Rune Carving ability, which works like a slightly slower Combo Points system from WoW and similar games--build up a separate gauge on an opponent and let rip. You are possibly the most frail class in the game though, wearing only leather and being forced to engage every opponent up close and personal, which leads to a lot of consumables and possible deaths. Play it safe when you're soloing, and keep your target within your grasp in PvP and you'll be a perfect Assassin. Cool, calm, and... some other C word that sounds threatening. You can fill in that blank for me when you get your first Elyos/Asmo faction kill!



Mages - Flinging Spells Because We Aren't Strong Enough to Use Weapons


Sorcerors


Just make stuff blow up. That's the name of the game. You'll burn through mana and chains remarkably fast. You'll gain hate faster than Bernie Madoff. But in the end, as long as your target falls before your feet and doesn't actually reach you, you'll be fine. You are made of paper, but you hurl scissors, and no matter how armored your foe, they will cut through as if they were paper too. You have a powerful root, and a powerful set of sleep spells to control runners and how combat is started. You have to make sure you have a back up plan though, because landing more than one crowd control spell pretty much seals the deal--that crab is coming after your ass and will ignore a million bucks in the sand until you're dead. Your mobile offense is quite limited, and you'll be relying on chains and stigma for abilities to use on the move for the most part. But where most classes will take 15-20 seconds to kill an equal level standard monster, you'll do it in 10, if that. Keep your MP high, and keep 'em coming.


Spiritmasters

Stow sent out AIR SPIRIT. Go, Air Spirit! Use Thunder attack now! That's pretty much how you'll work as a spiritmaster. You don't have the nuking potential of the Sorceror, but you replace the nuking lines with outstanding DoTs and debuffs. You can slow and cripple people in marvelous ways, but these build a lot of hate just like the crowd control of the other man in robes. Fortunately, you can dump that on your spirit with a little swap spell, which makes leveling and PvE tactics incredibly simple, or can allow you to pull something off your pet as it's about to die for instance. PvP can be a little aggravating since you're much less effective in the air than you are on the ground due to the whole pet mechanic, but with a little dancing, you can keep the enemy between you and your pet, and aggravated as they attempt to catch you while the spirit has its way with them. You can only have one spirit out at a time, but each one specializes in a different brand of pain so you can be ready for anything. Keep good track of your pet, your enemy, and yourself and you'll be invincible. Lose one, and you might as well be a robe with wings taking a dirt nap.


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The classes aren't too hard to figure out, but knowing the strengths and weaknesses takes a little more than a glance for PvP. Whether you decide on a melee powerhouse or a ranged artillery piece, you won't be disappointed in what you pick as long as you slug it out to the higher levels of the game when the class really comes into its own. The grind might get to you, but try and resist that urge to create an alt or you'll never get past your 2nd or 3rd leveling area. However with the massive focus on PvP, it's important to know what every class can do to you! Pick your favorite and take it to the top of the Abyss rankings!